ST. LOUIS – Four University of Evansville men’s basketball players were recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference on Tuesday after leading the Aces to a third place finish in regular season.
 
Junior Colt Ryan, senior Denver Holmes, freshman Ryan Sawvell and junior Troy Taylor received league recognition for their efforts in leading UE to its second-best seeding since entering the MVC in 1994.  The only seeding higher than this season came in 1999 when UE won the regular season championship.
 
“I am very proud of these guys, they did a great job of staying together all year,” head coach Marty Simmons said.  “We had some tough losses and were able to bounce back every time.  They had a certain togetherness that everyone, especially younger players, can learn from.”
 
After being named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team last season, Colt Ryan was named a first-team player this year.  The guard from Batesville, Ind. led UE and was second in the MVC, averaging 20.5 points per game while tying for the league lead in steals, swiping two a game.  The three-time MVC Player of the Week scored a career-high 43 points last week against Creighton before tallying 12 in Saturday’s win over Missouri State.  He is the sixth player to notch first-team All-MVC honors since UE entered the league in 1994.
 
Denver Holmes was named as an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection.  Holmes, who hails from Olathe, Kan., came up large for the Aces on several occasions this year, most recently in Saturday’s win over the Bears.  Holmes knocked down a three-pointer with one tick remaining to send the game to overtime before Evansville picked up the 75-70 victory.  His shot was the difference between UE finishing third and eighth in the league. 
 
Those were not the only heroics for UE’s second-leading scorer.  Against Northern Iowa on Feb. 15, he was at it again, connecting on a pair of treys in the final 19 seconds to give the Aces the season sweep over the Panthers.
 
“Both Colt and Denver are very deserving of their honors; Colt has done everything we have asked for three years, he is a leader on the court and is committed to helping the team win,” Simmons said.  “Denver is a true team player.  He is the hardest worker that we have and has excelled as a senior this season.”
 
Making the All-Freshman Team was Ryan Sawvell.  The true freshman from Mundelein, Ill. evolved in his inaugural campaign at UE after missing several games in November with mono.  He got better as the season went on, scoring 10 or more points in a span of seven out of 11 contests in January and February.
 
Sawvell’s top scoring output came against Drake where he knocked down seven shots to score 14 points.  In UE’s win at Bradley, Sawvell hauled in 16 rebounds, the most a UE player has had this season.  He has been an extremely accurate shooter, hitting 62.2% of his attempts, a tally that would be sixth in the nation with enough attempts.  Sawvell is the tenth UE player to be named an All-Freshman player.
 
One of the pleasant surprises for Evansville this season was junior Troy Taylor.  The point guard, and the leading rebounder for UE, was named to the All-Defensive Team.  Taylor leads the Aces with 4.8 rebounds per game while contributing in other facets as well, notching 99 assists, 42 steals and 5.4 PPG.
 
Taylor has made two stabs at just the second triple-double in Evansville history, most recently in the home game against Indiana State.  He fell just two assists and a point short of accomplishing the feat.  He is one of just three players to receive the honor for the Aces.  Jeremy Stanton was named to the team each season from 1999-2001 while Reed Jackson notched the award in 1995.
 
“Troy loves competition, he will do anything to help our team out.  He is quick and explosive; we are proud of him being named one of the top defenders in the league,” Simmons commented.  “Ryan has developed into one of our hardest workers.  He is smart and tough and has made an immediate impact with us while accepting his role.”